Bushwick became an essential part of this story. This New York neighborhood, home to generations of artists, carries the energy of the city’s independent creative scene. Placing Colton Dane here felt natural: an actor with dreams in a neighborhood built on them. “I wanted to capture Colton’s character rather than simply photograph an actor,” photographer Sasha Brons explains. “The images needed to feel like an extension of who he is, rather than a character created for the camera.”
For this editorial, the team led by Sasha moved between the raw streets of Bushwick and the intimacy of the studio. Working from an initial mood board and casting by 08010’s editor-in-chief, Carlos Venegas, Brons developed the concept through his own perspective and Colton’s personality. Alongside videographer Theodore Grass and stylist Juli Katsalap, the team explored youth, individuality and sexuality through images that feel fun and personal.
Building a career in New York means living somewhere between competition and possibility. Surrounded by people from different backgrounds, each pursuing their own dream, Sasha sees the city as a place where ambition can become real through persistence. Its constant movement has shaped the way he observes people and searches for the emotions, personalities and contradictions behind an image.
Sasha started taking photographs as a teenager, creating shoots with his sisters and friends while experimenting with clothes and characters. After university, his knowledge of styling led him to work at a modeling agency and brought him further into fashion. What began as a desire to create beautiful pictures gradually became a way of telling stories. “When I first started, I simply wanted to create beautiful images. Today, I want them to have meaning."
His visual language draws from photographers like Peter Lindbergh, Patrick Demarchelier, Steven Meisel, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Bruce Weber and Perry Ogden. Their influence can be seen in his interest in honesty, individuality, sexuality and the human body, but his approach remains instinctive. Sometimes the story comes first; other times, it begins with the person in front of him. “I want to reveal the story that is already there rather than impose one,” he says. “I don’t think I can create a moment. I can capture one.”
Looking forward, Sasha hopes to keep developing a voice that balances visual beauty with meaning. He wants to create more stories about individuality, youth, sexuality and human character. “I don’t want to simply make beautiful images,” he says. “I want to create visual stories that resonate and stay with people.”
A 08010 MAGAZINE EXCLUSIVE FASHION STORY BY SASHA BRONS.
FEATURING COLTON DANE. STYLING BY JULI KATSALAP. VIDEO BY THEODORE GRASS. CASTING + EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, CARLOS VENEGAS.
FEATURING COLTON DANE. STYLING BY JULI KATSALAP. VIDEO BY THEODORE GRASS. CASTING + EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, CARLOS VENEGAS.
